Some Enchanted Evening
"Some Enchanted Evening"
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Episode Information
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"Some Enchanted Evening" is the thirteenth non-short episode of The Simpsons. It originally aired on May 13, 1990. It is notorious for its crude animation, a trait shared with the first episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", and was actually the first episode to be produced, if not aired.
Plot
The episode starts with the Simpson family fighting at the breakfast table. Lisa and Bart are fighting over a doughnut, while Homer is reading the newspaper. After the children leave for school, Homer leaves to the power plant without even noticing Marge. Our heroine is left with an asleep Maggie and Arnie Pie on the radio, yelling at Kent Brockman. Suddenly, a commercial comes on the radio, urging Marge to call Dr. Marvin Monroe's on-the-air therapy. She does so, and tells him she's tired of Homer of not treating her like the "hot love object you are." (quoted by Dr. Monroe).
At work, Homer hears his wife talking about him on the phone, and instead of going home that night, goes to Moe's and asks Moe for advice. Moe tells Homer he should take her to a fancy restaurant, spend the night at a hotel, and buy her some flowers. He ends up buying her a box of chocolates and a single rose, as the flowers are very expenisve, and goes home and tells Marge he loves her. Marge's complection softens, and he decides to take her where Moe suggested. During this time, Bart has made various prank calls to Moe's Tavern.
However, the parents are faced with a problem when they realize their kids have nobody to watch over them. Marge calls the Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper Babysitting Service, and the receptionist immediately freaks out, telling her she must be kidding. Homer then calls under the alias "Homer Samson", and hires a babysitter, Ms. Botz.
When Ms. Botz arrives, Marge says that Bart and Lisa are to watch the Happy Little Elves Meet the Curious Bear Cub. Ms. Botz makes them watch the video (against Bart's wishes) whilst she puts Maggie to bed. After a while, Bart gets bored, and decides to switch to America's Most Armed and Dangerous, where the host is talking to the audience about the notorious "Babysitter Bandit", who's real name is Lucille Botzkowski. The host also warns the viewers that she might be using a clever alias. They then show Bart and Lisa, and the rest of their TV audience, a picture of the criminal - who looks just like Ms. Botz.
As if on cue, Ms. Botz, who is really the Babysitter Bandit, comes into the room and ties up Bart and Lisa. Meanwhile, the parents are enjoying a fancy dinner at a restaurant. Once done with their meal, the Simpson adults go to their fancy hotel, where Marge discovers there is no answer at home, as Ms. Botz has unplugged all the phones.
Back in the house, Maggie wakes up and goes downstairs to find her siblings tied up, just as The Happy Little Elves video ends. Lisa tells Maggie she'll be able to watch the film again if she unties them. The baby complies, saving the day once more.
The Simpson children hatch a plan. Maggie goes up the staircase and into the room where the Babysitter Bandit is robbing the closet. She then sucks on her pacifier and walks out of the room. Botzkowksi, tired of the incompetent children, follows Maggie's pacifier sucking sounds and into a dark closet, where she is hit on the head by Bart, wielding a bat. It turns out Bart was harnessing Maggie's pacifier to accomplish the deed. The kids then rush to a local pay phone and alert the authorities, but not before tying the Babysitter Bandit up and forcing her to watch The Happy Little Elves.
Marge and Homer arrive home, worried about getting no answer. They find "Ms. Botz" tied up and gagged, and then send her home with all her suitcases (in which the stolen items are contained), plus three times her regular pay. The police then arrive, along with the media, and the officers ask Homer if he really did aid the Babysitter Bandit in escaping. Homer says, "Not exactly aid..." before Homer, in bed later, watching himself on TV, turns it off, saying he's just not that bright. Marge says she loves him the way he is, and then Homer turns out the light, to have a good night's sleep.
Cultural references
- America's Most Wanted - America's Most Armed and Dangerous is a parody of the show.
- The Smurfs and The Care Bears - The Happy Little Elves is most likely a parody of the two shows.
- When Homer says "No, I said Samson, not Simpson.". This is a parody of a poem which ends in My name is Simpson, not Samson..
Trivia
- Dr. Monroe says to Marge "I'm as sure as my voice is annoying.". This is a joke on the fact Harry Shearer, the voice for Dr. Monroe, found the character annoying to voice.
- This episode was the first to be produced, yet last to air in the first season. This is because the original animation that came back from Korea was extremely poor, even disturbing, so much that James L. Brooks exclaimed, "This is shit!"
Complete List of Characters
- Marge Simpson
- Homer Simpson
- Bart Simpson
- Lisa Simpson
- Maggie Simpson
- Arnie Pie (not seen)
- Dr. Marvin Monroe
- Moe Szyslak
- Barney Gumble
- Sam and Larry
- Ms Botz
